Various fold configurations are well known for use in the sanitary sheet products (i.e., paper towels, tissues, napkins, etc.) art. In general, different fold configurations have been utilized to reduce dimensions of the dispensed products and/or to facilitate the dispensing process. Known fold configurations include basic C-fold, V-fold, Z-fold, M-fold, and numerous other single-ply or multi-ply configurations that may generally be referred to as “folded towels.”
Typically, folded sheet towel products of the type dispensed in lavatories are stacked and banded together as a package for shipment and storage. For use, the stacked sheets are loaded into an appropriate dispenser. Adjacent sheets in the stack may be interleafed to promote the appearance of the next sheet in the opening of the dispenser after removal of a sheet. Often, due to the nature of the particular fold configuration, the stack of towels must be loaded with a specific orientation for proper grasping and dispensing by a subsequent user.
A primary and ongoing concern in the industry is to provide the user with a fold configuration that promotes efficient and non-wasteful dispensing of the towels.
One problem encountered with dispensing paper towels of conventional fold configurations is that the towels are typically folded and dispensed in a two-ply configuration that may provide more fiber per sheet than is necessary for efficient drying or that is not particularly amenable to being unfolded by the user into a larger single-ply sheet. The users may not unfold the towel and thus may perceive that the folded towel is not large enough to adequately dry their hands. After using one towel, the user will typically pull another towel to finish the drying process. This results in significant waste.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for an improved fold configuration for stacked towel products that provides efficient and non-wasteful dispensing of optimally sized towels that are readily unfolded and utilized by a user.